Railway-switch frog.



PATENTED DEG. 31. 1907.

J. E. GRAHAM.

RAILWAY SWITCH FROG.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 30. 1907.

' bracing of the structure.

' will more fully hereinafter appear, the

JOHN E. GRAHAM, or SALEM, VIRGINIA, Assicnor. TO

RAILWAY IM'PROVEMEND COMPANY, or or FLORIDA.

Specificatiomof Letters Patent.

Application filed April30.1907. Serial No. 371.106.

AMERICAN FLANGE FROG KND GAINESVILLE, FLORIDA, A CORPORATION RAILWAY-SWITCH FROG.

PatentedDec. 31, 1907.

To all whom it may concern:

' Be it known that 1, JOHN E. GRAHAM, a citizen of the United States, residing at Salem, in the county of Roanoke and State of Virginia, have invented a new and useful Railway-Switch Frog, of which the following is a specification.

' This invention relates to switch frogs, and has for its principal object to provide a device of this class in which the main track is normally continuous in order to prevent noise or hammering during the assage of the train, and in which provision is made for positively preventing the wheel flange or flanges from engaging with the point of the frog while passing in either direction.

A further object of the invention is to provide a railway frog in which a movable rail, preferably a spring rail, is enga ed and moved by the inner face of the wheel flange when the train is runningon a siding, provision being made for preventing any clamping action on the llange between the fixed and spring rails by the employment of a guard flange or member which engages with the outer side .of the wheel rim and positively holds the wheel in propcr position for throwing the spring rail,and at the same time prevents any contact of l he wheel flan ge withthe point of the frog. I A still further object ol the invention is to provide a device of that class in which the guard flange or rail is disposed obliquely to the plane of the trallic rail on which the wheel is running, so that a gradual cam action will result, the wheel being gradually but positively forced inward during the entire movement until the spring rail is fully opened and the wheel flange has passed beyond the point of the frog.

Further objects of the invention are to improve and simplify the cl'instruction. of devices of this class, to prevent the accumulation of dirt, and to provide for the rigid With these and other objects in view, as

invention consists in certain novel features of construction and arrangement of parts, hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the acconipan ung drawings, and particularly pointed out inthe appended claims. it being understood that various changes in the form, proportions, size and minor details of the structure may be made without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of. the invention.

In the acconman i v drawi s:-Fi ure 1 I b u is a plan view of a spring frog constructed in accordance with the invention. Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view of the same on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1, the view being on an enlarged scale. Fig. 3 is a similar view on the line :1 --.';i of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a transverse sectionon the line 4-4 of Fig. 1. detail pcrspccl lve viewfof one of the supporting braces detached.- 1'

Similar numerals of reference are employed to indicate corresponding )arts throughout the several figures of the rawings. l

The SWlll'l! l'rog as a whole is carried by a base plate lll formed of metal and arranged to be spiked, bolted, or otherwise secured to the ties. U11 this plate is mounted the ends of main rails 11 and 12, the latter in this instance constituting the spring rail,

and crossing rails 13 and 14.

'lh'e rail sections 11 and 13 are joined together and are disposed at an acute angle to each o? her, forming what is termed a frog point lfi, and in ordinary structures there 1s grc dzdiger of derailment through the flang re wheels striking this frog point .g from section 14 to section 13, Ion 12 to section 11.

rail 12 is pivoted at one end where it to the main rail, while the rail HtUlllmi is rigidly secured to the base plate, arc; the inner face of its head is 1-11 direct ulilwlncnt with the inner face of the head hall 13. The two rails 12 and 14 graders-5y converge in 'tl18diIBCt1OIl of the fro jmim but at a point some distance in adfv'an ol the "frog oint they start to div43! :nes paralle to the rail sections 11 .d at their extreme ends are curved mi'lo'krl Mirther, as indicated at 16, in order not to interfere with the free passage of the cl. wheels on trains approaching on the t1 ask sections 11 and i3. 'ihe section 14- is permanently riveted to the base plate, and is permanently spaced iroui the section 11, while the spring rail 12 bears against the face of the rail 13 under normal conditions, so that the parts 11 and 12 will afford a continuous tread for the wheels of 'a train traveling on the main line. At points beyond the wheel supporting Fig. 5 is a .The main portions of these guar .wheel flanges cannot ing the continuity of the main rail.

sections are guard flanges 20 and 21 which.

are preferably formed of rails of the same size and weight asthose of which the frog is formed, or they may be heavier; these guard rails are formed from T-rails oi the same size as the rails of the lrog, said guard rails or flanges will be mounted. on spacing strips 22, and the whole structure be ermanently secured to the base'plate. These guard flanges 20 and 21 are each. bent to form two portions at an obtuse angleto each other, and the pointsat which they converge are at or beyond the frog point 15. t flanges which extend alongside the rails 12 and 14 are arranged on lines slightly oblique to the treads of the rails as pointed out in reissue patent granted to me on the 12 day of .t ebruary, 1907, No. 12,605, and the flanges are above thetreads of the frog rails, so that as the wheels approach the frog point, the-outer sides of their riins will be engaged by the guard flanges 20, 21, depending, of course, upon which track the wheel is travcling on, and the wheels will be gradually forced laterally to such position that the 7 under any circumstances strike against the point 1.5 of the frog.

side of the hase 'gri each rail 12 and 14 cut away where the rails are parallel with the guard flanges, that is to say, beyond the frog point, so that the strength of? theguard flanges will not be reduced, and these guard flanges are further strengthened or reinforced. by braces 25 which. may be formed-0i pressed steel, the flanges of which are riveted or otherwise permanently secured to the base plate.

Extending through the rail 14-, the. spring rail 12 and guard members 20 and flange 21, a guiding bolt 12-6 on which is arranged a clamping nut 21?. This bolt serves a guide for the spring rail, and between the spring rail and the guard flan e 21. is arranged a cmnpression spring 28 t at tends at all tii'ues to throw the s ring rail to the position shown inFig. 1. fort e purpose of preserv- The action of the spring 28 is assisted by an auxiliary sprin 29 that is arranged between the sa d spring switch point and the guard 2i, bein mounted on S1llttbl6fll7tll532 that project i roin the spring rail and guard.

in order to prevent accumulations of dirt between the movable spring rail 12 and the guard 21, each of these members is provided with a p'a'oieetin cover strip 34, these strips overlapping, and the strip 34 of the spring rail being above that of the guard, so that any dirt which in ay accumulate on to pot the strips wiil be pushed over in the direction-bi the guard flange to permit convenient reinovai.

'l lfiien the spring rail lain its normal posil tion, that is to s'ay, inthe position shown in Fig. 1, a train approaching the frog and traveling on the rail 12 will have continuous support, and all strainnon the frog point proper will. be. prevented by the engagement of the outer face of the riin of the wheel with theobliquely dis osed guard flange 21, so that the latter wil take all the Wear, and there will be noiriction between the inner faceof the wheel-flange and the frog point, while at thesaine time the guard flange, extending beyond the frog'polnt, will positivel prevent any contact etween the inner ace oi the wheel flangemand the froguntil after the wheel has passedpbeyond the point-15'.

W on a train is approaching onthe' track 14 ,1; re outer taceolthe rim-oi the wheelwill engage against the obliquely disposed guard 20, and thfe wheel will be radually forced over until its flange strikes t to spring rail '12,

whereupon the rail '12 will be gradually moved to open position and will beheld over until the wheel has passed to a point of safety beyond the front the passage of the whee of the train, the

spring rail Will'be returned to its normal po-.

sitionby the action of the springs. I claim I 1. A spring and a guard. flange arran e to he engaged by the outer face of the w eel rirn, whereby the wheel :(langeis forced to engage the spring rail and move thelattcr to open post tron.

2. A. spring frog includin, a spring rail, and a guard flange arranged to be engaged bythe outer face o'f'the wheel rim, sai guard flange hein oblique to the tread of the traiiic rail and acting as a cam tO'l'IlQVB the wheel laterally, whereby the wheel move the latter to open position. I

3. A sp ing. frog including a movable spring rail, and a rigid guard flange arranged to engage the outer faceof the wheel rim and force the wheel flange against the spring rail.

A. spring .trog including a spring rail, and permanent guard flanges arranged on opposite sides of said spring rail to be Q11- gaged by the outer faces of the wheel rims one of said flanges serving to assist the wheel in moving the s ring rail to open position.

5. A spring i' rog including a spring rail,

flangeis forced to engage the spring rail and position, and. an obliquely enga ing guard flange servin to force the wheel over and thus move ti into open position, and acting, also, to prevent contact of the wheel flange with the frog point.

6. A; spring frog having a normally closed spring rail to preserve the continuity of the main line, 12:" a a guard fiange rranged at a slight angle tethe mainline and extending oint 15-, and after.

frogincluding i g i1 a spring normally holding the same in closed disposed wheel 6 spring rail averse beyond the'irog point, said guard serving by engagement with the outer face of the wheel rim to force the Wheel against the spring rail and to a position beyond. the frog point.

7. In a spring fro-g, three permanently secured rail members, a spring rail arranged in alinement with one of them andnormally held in closed position to preserve. the continuity of the main line, and a pair of rigid guard flanges arranged on slightly converent lines with. respect to the rails, and serving to prevent contact of the wheel flanges with the frog point, one of said flanges serving further to push the wheel of an approaching train to rail opening position.

8. In a springu frog, a base plate, a main line rail, and a pair of cross line rails permanently secured thereto, a spring rail, the frog end of which is fre a spring tending to hold the spring rail in closed position to preserve the oontinuity of the main line, guard i flanges arranged on opposite sides of the rails and at a slight angle thereto, and a bolt the guard flanges, a

extending through one of the rails and one of the guard flanges, said bolt serving as a guide for the spring rail and as a support "for the spring.

9. In a spring frog, a base plate, a pair of cross line rails, and a main rail permanently secured thereto, a spring rail forming apart of the main line, a pair of guard rails or flanges permanently secured to the base plate, a guide bolt extending through one of the cross line rails, the spring rail, and one of s ring mounted on said bolt and tending to hold the spring rail in closed position, an auxiliary sprin also tending to hold the spring rail in close -posi 'tion, supports for the auxiliary spring, and

braces secured to the base and bearing against the outer faces of the guard flanges:

In testimony that I claim the foregoingas my own, I have hereto affixed my s1gnature in the presence of two witnesses.

JOHN E.

Witnesses:

WM. J. NEALE, Jno. E. PARKER. 

